2010 SEC Season Preview

Auburn Tigers - Last season was very tumultuous for Auburn. The season began promising enough, as the Tigers were able to win their first five games. After that, they went on to lose three straight and ultimately dropping five of their last seven. Although, the entire season was almost saved with what would have been a dramatic upset against rival Alabama. Still, it seemed as if they were able to use some of the momentum gained to carry them over to a dramatic overtime win against Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. Regardless, that was last year and it has little impact on the upcoming season. This yearâ€™s schedule is favorable for Auburn as they only have four road games all year. The friendly confines of home should help the Tigers elevate their game to the next level. They return plenty of players from last year and had a strong recruiting class to add some depth. It seems the pieces are in place and the only real issue for Auburn will be consistency.

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#6 Florida Gators - Not sure if anyone has heard but for the last four years, the Gators had some guy named Tim Tebow playing quarterback for them. But he is no longer there, which leaves Coach Urban Meyer with some pretty big shoes to fill. The man for the job seems to be Junior QB John Brantley. He has the mechanics but perhaps most importantly he has the talent around him. Four of the five starting offensive linemen return. The backfield is loaded with speed in the forms of Emmanuel Moody and Jeff Demps. Deonte Thompson seems poised to step up and become the home threat the Gators would love to have. Even without the returning players, we all know that Florida recruits perhaps better than any other program in the nation. This strength will play a big role in reloading a defense that lost four players to the NFL draft last year. Given the recent success of the program, the bar is high. Anything less than a return appearance in the SEC title game will be a letdown for fans at the Swamp.

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Georgia Bulldogs - The Bulldogs are beginning to slip a bit in the pecking order of the SEC, behind Florida, LSU and Alabama. This is not sitting well between the hedges. Georgia has the talent and the coaching but just seems unable to put it all together at the same time. If this is to be the year that Georgia reasserts itself amongst the SEC elite, it will have to rely on the offense with eight returning starters (compared to only three on defense). How successful this unit can be will probably rely on the health of its offensive line. The Bulldogs rarely had the same starting offensive line from game to game last year. Regardless, they were still a very productive unit. Ultimately, how to judge the Bulldogsâ€™ season will be decided on October 30th, where they play the Gators. Georgia has not had much success recently in the Worldâ€™s Largest Cocktail Party, as they have lost four of their last five matchups, the last two by a combined score of 90 to 27. If the Bulldogs can win this one, it should put them in a position to play for their first conference title since 2005.

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#17 LSU Tigers - Following a narrow defeat at the hands of Penn State last year in the Capitol One Bowl, the Tigers hope to rebound this year. And they better do it fast as Alabama is beginning to firmly position themselves atop of the SEC West. We know that LSU can field solid defenses and will have to rely on them to challenge for the SEC title. The good news in regards to the offensive side of the ball is that the only way to go is up. As a unit, the team was ranked 112th in total offense and 76th in points scored nationally. The offense will begin with a tough test right off the bat against a talented North Carolina team. If LSU is able to win this game, they should be looking at a 5-0 record going into their matchup against Florida at the Swamp. After this game, the schedule allows a bit of breathing room before the Crimson Tide come to Death Valley on November 6th. These three games could help determine whether or not LSU can thrust themselves back into the National Title scene.

*I would like to thank Athlon sports and College Football News, as they proved to be very valuable resource in writing this preview.